There have been debates about what animal the Disney character Goofy from The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse really is, and it is time to hear from the voice actor himself. Bill Farmer decided to end the guessing at nearly 40 years as he disclosed what Goofy may have been.
The 71-year-old shared his verdict during an interview with Yahoo! and backed it up with valid reasons. He started by stating the obvious about Goofy’s non-verbal pet, Pluto, who is a dog complete with a collar.
Results are in: Goofy is not a dog
To some people’s relief, Bill said Goofy is, in fact, not a dog but a member of the canine dog family. His technical Latin name is “Canis Goofus,” and Bill added that although Goofy looks a lot like a dog, he is not one but simply in a category of his own as Goofy.
People have previously deemed Goofy a cow due to his relationship with Clarabelle, but Bill says it is not true. He recalled watching Walt Disney’s Wonderful World Of Color as a child, making Goofy his favorite ever since. He originally auditioned, hoping to land Mickey Mouse, but the officials preferred his act for Goofy.
Playing Goofy was a dream come true
Bill added that doing voices came easy to him because he grew up mimicking his favorite characters and learning to be a stand-up comic impressionist for years before leaving for Los Angeles. He first appeared in Goof Troop and then A Goofy Movie in 1995.
Bill did not realize how similar he was to Goofy until people began to reach out, saying Goofy’s son, Max Goof, had helped their child-father relationship ever since Bill started to see his interactions with Max as one with his little toddler while in action.